LESSON PLANS
The importance of planning
IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING:
• BENEFITS TO YOU
– Knowing what to expect reduces stress
– Allows you to have the required materials
– Following the day in an organized manner
is easier and more fun
– You feel confident about turning your
program over to a substitute
– Conveys professionalism to parents
– Provides a sense of accomplishment &
well-being
IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING:
• BENEFITS TO CHILDREN
– Children know what to expect
– Reduces tension thus reducing
misbehavior
• Will probably nap more restfully
– Sense of time and sequence is
developed
– Children learn the skill of
predicting, which helps with
problem solving
IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING:
• BENEFITS TO PARENTS
– Parents feel more secure when they know
something about daily plans.
– Encourages them to discuss with their child
what is going on at school.
– Helps educate parents on appropriate growth
and development activities for their child.
By Janna Forsgren, Training Specialist, State of Utah Office of Licensing
1. PICK A THEME:
• Brainstorm what a preschool child would
like to study?
Colors
Shapes
All about me
5 senses
Cowboys
Harvest
Nursery Rhymes
Families
Hygiene
Other Cultures
Foods
Music
Oceans
Transportation
Dinosaurs
Animals
Occupations
Seasons
Bugs
Love/Valentines
Rainbows
Weather
Sports
2. MAP EVERYTHING TO
LEARN ABOUT THEME
• Small groups of students can each pick a
theme and map or web everything to learn
about the theme.
3. DEFINE IMPORTANT
TOPICS TO TEACH
• Topics should be based on children’s
interests and needs.
• Decide on creative activities that will teach
children about the topic.
– Small group
– Whole group
– Learning centers
– Field trips
– Cooking experience
4. DECIDE ON OBJECTIVES
• Overall goals
• Ask, “What type of learning is to occur?”
• Should be based on observing and
recording children’s needs.
• Have knowledge of developmental stages
• Help each child develop to their fullest
– Age appropriate but challenging
5. DECIDE ON LEARNING
CENTER ACTIVITIES
LEARNING CENTERS:
Sensory Table
Science Center
Computers
Quiet Corner
Blocks
GROUP ACTIVITY:
• Each group needs a paper for each
learning center and each student needs a
colored marker.
• Pass the papers around the group several
times. Each student will write something
that they think would belong in that center.
• Share with the class.
• Grade student participation by number of
times they wrote in their color of marker.
DAILY SCHEDULE
• Schedule needs to be flexible so children
can finish projects and activities.
• Activities are designed to develop self
esteem and positive feelings about
learning.
• Planning as a team is best. Why?
• Teaching files can be very helpful in
planning.
FREE PLAY:
• Inviting start of the preschool day.
• Daily greet each child warmly.
– It is essential to their self esteem.
• Large motor activities of their choosing.
– Acts on own imagination.
• Best when restrictions are few.
– Computers, blocks, balance beam, climbing
tube, basket ball hoop, dress ups, puzzles,
play dough, doll house or barn.
CIRCLE TIME:
• Everyone involved at the same time.
– Children learn to be part of a group & participate.
• Teach by encouraging, supporting and extending
children’s choices and actions because children
learn through action and drawing their own
conclusions.
CIRCLE TIME Cont’d:
• Let children help decide what is to be done
during circle time.
– Choices: Calendar, pledge, count kids,
songs, introduce theme, letter of week
activity, birthdays, guest speakers.
IT IS IMPORTANCE TO
PLAN EACH DAY WITH
EACH CHILD
what they will be
doing for work time.
PLANNING TIME with children:
•
THE IMPORANCE OF PLANNING:
– Encourages verbal skills about choices and
decisions
– Promotes self esteem
– Creates an environment of less self control
– Leads to involvement and concentration on
play
No planning:
• Creates aimlessness and wandering
PLANNING IS:
• A promise to do something acceptable
• An exciting opportunity to form a mental
model to guide future activities.
TRUE or FALSE?
• Planning helps preschool children develop
a multi step sequence of actions. T
• Children often modify their plans as they
play. T
• Planning is a non-flexible process only
done before work time. F
• Most young children are in the habit of
planning. F
Planning Helps the Children:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Articulate ideas, choices and decisions.
Promotes children self confidence.
Promotes children’s sense of self control.
Leads to involvement & concentrated
play.
5. Supports development of complex play.
RESPONSES TO: “What would
you like to do?”
• “I don’t know.”
Give ideas and show centers
• No answer.
See where they are looking, notice
gestures
• Same every day.
Encourage variety, show what others are
doing
CHILDREN CAN LEARN TO PLAN
• First plans are vague
• Then plans are routine
• Then plans become detailed
WORK TIME:
• Children carry out projects and plans at
various centers.
• Adults assist, support and extend ideas.
• If one project is complete they can go to
another.
CLEAN UP TIME:
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Encourage clean up as they go.
Give a 5 minute warning so it doesn’t end abruptly.
Define specifically how to clean up.
Help them & work along with them.
Have clean up games. What are some?
Have them help others until everyone is done.
Move to a central gathering place and survey the room
with children.
• Motivate with a new activity as soon as cleanup is
finished.
• On messy days begin cleanup with a group meeting.
RECALL TIME: (SNACK)
• Recall and show what they did to small group.
• Can see relation between plans and activities
and develop awareness of their own actions.
• Helps them evaluate and learn from their own
experiences.
• Recall in small groups helps them get ideas from
others and hear others describe their work.
PHYSICAL TIME:
• Active time to help with wiggles:
– Musical instruments
– Dancing to music, with scarves, ribbons, etc.
– Duck duck goose
– London bridges
– Sock snowball fight
– Indian, Hawiian, Mexican dancing
– Parachute
SMALL GROUP TIME:
• Chosen by teacher, teacher directed activity.
• Children who like to work by themselves can
learn social skills.
• Divide by age group.
• Can be a good time to separate friends, siblings.
• May remain the same for 5-6 weeks or more.
• Directions: Have materials ready before hand.
Describe the activity in details. Encourage
children to talk to each other. At the end, have
each child show what they did and discuss it.
SMALL GROUP cont’d:
• IDEAS:
– Art
– Create a story
– Read stories about the theme
– Act out stories
– Cooking experience
– Math, science experiences
– Letter of the week activity
SHARING TIME:
• PURPOSE:
– Develops oral language and
self concept. Being able to get
up in front of children and
having teacher’s total attention
for a few seconds.
– To show what they did at work
time or anything of interest they
brought from home, as well as
experiences.
SHARING TIME GUIDELINES:
• They don’t have to always have something.
Or you could help them find something of interest or think of
something to tell.
• Have children guess what it is, give hints.
• Focus on feelings
– Get excited about what they brought.
– Be sincere and remember how important this is to
child.
– Closeness and touching.
– Have other children ask questions, clap & cheer for
each other.
– Can share good new and bad news.
GATHERING & STORY TIME:
• Ends the day in an orderly
manner.
• Have all children in coats and
packed up.
• Indicate quietly that their
parent has arrived.
– Be sure to speak to parents
about their child’s day.
•Continue activities like songs or more stories until
all children have left for the day.
TRANSITIONS:
• Help children move easily from one time period
or activity to another.
• Reduces confusion and disruptive behavior
between activities.
– Plan active times next to quiet or passive times.
(Define active & passive activities)
– Follow routines consistently. Why?
– Clearly signal end of times. Give a 5 minute warning
though.
– Help children decide how to move from one area to
the next. Ideas?
TRANSITIONS cont’d:
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Should be well planned and smooth.
Don’t wait for all to assemble.
Keep things moving.
More gets done because we don’t waste time.
Those not finished can hear and see what is
going on and will come soon.
• “We’ll start after you are all quiet, sit still and
listen” could be replaced with catching children
attention.
– Capture it within 30-40 seconds or they will be lost.
TOILETING ROUTINE:
• Plan as a group before and after snack or
meal time.
• Be sure to have all children wash hands
before snack and meal time and after
toileting.
• Make sure children understand they are
free to use the bathroom at any time
during the day.
EVALUATE THE DAY:
• How did things go?
• What went well and what didn’t?
• How would I do things different next time?
FIELD TRIPS:
• PURPOSE: To learn about the community
and different occupations.
• PREPARATION: Stories and activities
about the field trip.
FIELD TRIPS cont’d:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Need parent permission slips
Need student permission slips
Call the facility
Arrange transportation
Time (usually takes entire class time)
Supervision (Assign each child to a teacher)
Nametags not used in public places. Only have name of school and
phone number.
Food & drink (have extras for those who forgot)
Sign (Post sign on door to remind parents ahead of time and inform late
parent)
Camera and drawing pads for children to record trip
First Aid Kit
List of questions to ask and discuss after
Thank you letter or treat if appropriate
GUEST SPEAKERS:
• PREPARATION:
– Call and make all arrangements
– Park in visitor parking
– Age appropriate
• Go over what they will say
• Length of time
– Thank you note within a week
ASSIGNMENT:
• Create a daily schedule
– Alternate active & passive
– Snack mid morning with time to
prepare
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Outdoor play (20 minutes)
Small group (10 minutes)
Snack time, recall (10 minutes)
Story time (10 minutes)
Free play (20 minutes)
Circle time (20 minutes)
Work time (30 minutes)
Planning time (5 minutes)
Sharing time (10 minutes)
Song time (10 minutes)
TOTAL TIME: 150 MINUTES
(2 ½ HOURS)
9:30 – 12:00 AM